The Centre is looking to develop Bhavnagar in Gujarat as a container hub, amid a global surge in demand, and has set up pilot projects for its manufacturing. The initiative aimed at attaining self-reliance in container production eyes Rs 1,000 crore investment from private players and looks to create one lakh jobs.
The Ports Shipping and Waterways Minister Mansukh Mandaviya told PTI that India requires about 3.5 lakh containers every year. “There is no container production in India and we have to depend mainly on China which is a global producer. Now we want to develop Bhavnagar in Gujarat as a container hub and we have selected 10 places there for its production on a pilot basis.”
Mandaviya said the pilot project has been successful. He added that the Ministry of Shipping during the last six months has taken several initiatives to encourage container production at Bhavnagar with the help of re-rolling and furnance makers who are being encouraged to diversify in the space. “We expect private players to invest about Rs 1,000 crore in this space. We also expect creation of one lakh local jobs,” he said. “The initiative has been taken to realize the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of Aatmanirbhar Bharat.”
The minister said existing re-rolling and furnance industries are being encouraged to expand and take up this as demand for containerized cargo is increasing in India and globally. “Encapsulating this opportunity and furthering Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat efforts are on to make Bhavnagar the hub for container production.” One container costs about Rs 3.5 lakh and once the production picks up, India would not be required to import it.
“We have formed a committee to look into the finer details like standardization, certification etc. The committee comprises experts from the Ministry of Shipping, Indian Register of Shipping and IITs etc.,” Mandaviya said. “We had a meeting with shipping associations. Shipping liner associations have assured us that they will purchase the containers providing reasonable profits. They have assured us that they will not import it once indigenous production starts.”
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In regards to availability of raw material, the minister said the ministry has talked to large steel players. Mandaviya revealed they had a talk with global steel giant ArcelorMittal which has assured to provide the specific grade of steel for container manufacturing. ArcelorMittal is the largest global steel maker with 89.8 million tonnes crude steel production in 2019 and 18 steel manufacturing units worldwide.
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